SENATOR BOOZMAN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT A CEREMONY TO UNVEIL THE NEW INTERSTATE 49 SIGNS TODAY. BUT DESPITE HIS EMERGENCY, SEVERAL OTHER LAWMAKERS WERE ABLE TO ATTEND. 40/29'S JONATHAN ROZELLE WAS THERE FOR THE UNVEILING OF THE SIGN CHANGES. HE'S LIVE IN BELLA VISTA. YESTERDAY THIS WAS INTERSTATE 5- 40.BUT TODAY THIS SIGNHERE IS IT, IN RED, WHITE AND BLUE. THE FIRST INTERSTATE 49 SIGN TO GO UP TODAY HERE ALONG ... NOW, SOUTHBOUND INTERSTATE 49. THE NEW SIGN CEREMONY MARKED THE INTERSTATES NEW NAME. (SCOTT BENNETT -- DIRECTORS OF ARKANSAS HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION) "interstate 49 designation, when you have two digits in an interstate, it connects it into other states. That provides a lot of route continuity into other states and allow that connectivity into other states." SINCE THE INTERSTATE WAS BUILT FROM ALMA TO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS IT'S BEEN CALLED INTERSTATE 540. "interstate 49 really shows that this is going to end up being more than just a northwest arkansas road. This is going to be a road for the whole region of the country." IN 1999, IT WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE KNOWN AS I-49 BY REQUEST OF STATE OFFICIALS. PLANS CALLED FOR EXTENDING WHAT WAS THEN JUST AN INTERSTATE IN LOUISIANA FROM SHREVEPORT TO KANSAS CITY ... THE REQUEST WAS DENIED. THE ARKANSAS HIGHWAY COMMISSION SAYS THE SWITCH OPENS UP THE DOOR TO MORE MONEY FOR ARKANSAS. (DICK TRAMMEL -- ARKANSAS HIGHWAY COMMISSION) "when federal funding looks at it, we're connectivity. We're part of I-49, where before we were a separate entity, 540 from alma to bentonville." TODAY WAS JUST A START. IT WILL TAKE ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE ALL 7-HUNDRED INTERSTATE 49 SIGNS ARE IN PLACE. LIVE IN BELLA VISTA. JONATHAN ROZELLE. 40/29 NEWS. CREWS WILL BE WORKING FROM 9 IN THE MORNING TO 3 IN THE